Dear Friends of WLC,
This month, I would like to remind you about the group of people in the Department of World Languages and Cultures that truly helps us “make the world go around:” our staff!
As you know, WLC boasts a world-class faculty and students who are making important contributions to global citizenship each and every day. But, we could not do the good work of teaching, research, service and outreach were it not for the important colleagues who help us every minute of the day reach those goals. Whether in IT, student engagement, or the dreaded administrative paperwork, these are the folks who make World Languages and Cultures a great place to work!
Pamela Cooper
Pam Cooper is a farmer’s daughter, born and raised in Iowa. After teaching vocal music, grades 1-12, in an Iowa public school for seven years, she worked in the ISU Admissions Office from 1978-1989. Meeting her husband, Gary, took her to Colorado for 8 years. Then Iowa family and an ISU job offer with the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development brought them back in 1997. Pam has worked for ISU since that time. Her current job as Front Desk Secretary for the WLC provides lots of variety, which she thoroughly enjoys, from helping walk-in students to supporting faculty and staff. Working for nice, appreciative people makes WLC a place she’d like to stay in for a long time.
Christopher Farley
Chris Farley is an IT Support System Specialist who grew up in a small town just south of Des Moines. In April, he will have completed 4 years at ISU. Chris provides technology support for WLC and the Department of Theater and he oversees several campus wide projects and committees. He really enjoys the broad mix of his position since it includes working with technology, students, and faculty. One of the more random facts about Chris is that he and his wife worked at an international school in India for a year. Chris and his wife always wanted to experience the wider world and get out of their “Iowa Bubble.” Their time living abroad certainly changed the way they viewed people from other cultures. Chris mentions hiking in the foothills of the Himalayas at up to 17,000 feet for 8 days and being attacked by monkeys as some of the “highlights” of his time in India. Today, Chris and his family are also very involved in Cornerstone Church.
Stephanie Korslund
Stephanie Korslund, the Director of the Language Studies Resource Center (LSRC), is originally from Dayton, OH. She completed her undergraduate studies at Miami University (2006), receiving a BA in Spanish and Linguistics, and a BS in Foreign Language Education with a minor in Latin American Studies. She then received her Master’s Degree from Ohio University (2008) in Applied Linguistics focusing on Teaching English as a Second Language and Computer Assisted Language Learning. Currently, she is completing her PhD at Ohio University in Instructional Technology with an expected graduation of this Spring/Summer 2015. She came to Iowa State University in August of 2011. As Director of the LSRC, Stephanie works with faculty by helping them integrate technology into their language courses. Her favorite part about working in WLC is that everyday she gets to do a job that she loves – finding new ways that technology can be used to help people learn languages.
Claudia Lemon
Claudia Lemon is Secretary for Budget and Personnel in the Department of World Languages and Cultures. She grew up on a farm 30 miles north of Ames and attended college in Des Moines after high school then immediately started a career at ISU May 20, 1985. She has worked in World Languages and Cultures for 13 years but also worked in other ISU departments such as Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Food Science and Human Nutrition, Journalism and Mass Communications, Community and Regional Planning, and the University Honors Program. If you do the math, you can see that she has spent the majority of her career at ISU in the WLC department. Why? According to Claudia, it’s because she loves her job and the people she works with every day!
Ruxandra Looft
Dr. Sandra Looft grew up in Romania, Germany, and Canada before moving to the US at the age of sixteen. Her spent her childhood moving through different cultures and learning different languages, which inspired her to pursue academic work in German, French, and International Studies. She spent two years studying abroad at the University of Salzburg in Austria, a summer in Tours, France, and a research year in Munich, Germany. She received a PhD in German and Comparative Literature from Washington University in St. Louis in 2012 and currently is the academic adviser for World Languages and Cultures. She received a Ph.D. in German and Comparative Literature from Washington University in St. Louis in 2012. As the department adviser, Sandra works with students majoring and minoring in our department on matters related to curriculum requirements, study abroad, internships, graduate school plans, and career preparations. Dr. Looft also administers WLC’s Global Student Ambassador program, a group of WLC mentors who advise current students, represent the department at various campus and community events, and contribute to the social media pages. In fact, WLC has a vibrant social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, which we invite you to visit! Dr. Looft also has been an active voice in growing our social media presence and helping students – prospective, current, and alumni – connect through the help of technology and social networking.